Phillips hits, pitches Bryant to win in final prep for State
EDITOR’S NOTE: In this time of COVID-19, with no sports action, BryantDaily.com will be posting past stories of Bryant athletics either posted on BryantDaily.com (from 2009 to the present) or published in the Bryant Times (from 1998 to 2008).
By ROB PATRICK
BRYANT TIMES
Senior Mistica Phillips and her Bryant Lady Hornets teammates ended the 2002 regular season of softball in grand style on Tuesday, April 30.
Phillips, backed by stellar defense, held the El Dorado Lady ‘Cats without a hit for 5 2/3 innings. A groundball that crept through the left side of the infield off the bat of Shameka Williams spoiled the no-hit bid and the shutout, driving home Tyler Vance who had walked earlier in the inning.
But then came the grand part — Phillips got the last laugh when she ended the game in the bottom of the sixth with a grand slam home run that gave her team the run-rule win 11-1.
It was the third hit of the game for Phillips, who drove in six runs, as the Lady Hornets improved to 19-8 overall this season. As the third seed from the AAAAA-South Conference, they were set to commence action in the State Tournament in Springdale at noon on Saturday, May 4, against the second seeded team from the AAAAA-West, probably Springdale.
Phillips and classmates Kelli Steed, Andrea Hammock, Aleshia Joyce and Stacy Workman were all honored after the game, in which all five got a start.
Phillips retired the first eight El Dorado batters before issuing a pair of two-out walks in the third inning.
By then, the Lady Hornets had a 5-0 lead. In the bottom of the second, Jeanne Randall started the carousel on the basepaths with a walk. Courtesy runner Ashley Grappe swiped second and third then scored on an infield single by Rachael Blakley. In turn, Blakley stole her way to third. She dashed toward home when Hammock’s tap was fielded by El Dorado pitcher Kim Blackmon. When Blackmon’s throw got past catcher Kaci Travis, not only was Blakley safe at the plate but Hammock was at second.
A wild pitch sent Hammock to third but she was out trying to score on Joyce’s bunt. But Joyce stole second and, as the pitch got past Travis, headed toward third. She hesitated as Travis got to the ball and threw towards third but the throw skipped past Renisha Rivers. Joyce came on to third and when Williams, the left fielder kicked the ball, she scored to make it 3-0.
With two out, Lindsey Sullivan got things going again by hustling to first on a slow roller to third, beating a throw from Rivers that was wild anyway. Kelli Steed was hit by a pitch and Amie Hubbard walked to load the bases for Phillips. She delivered a two-run single to cap off the inning.
In the fourth, El Dorado’s Megan Rainwater made a bid to spoil Phillips’ no-hitter with a drive to right-center but Hammock robbed her of extra-bases with a running grab.
The Lady Hornets added a run in the bottom of the fourth when Sullivan walked, swiped second, took third on Steed’s groundout to third and scored on a wild pitch.
Phillips worked around another pair of walks in the top of the fifth. In the sixth, however, she walked Vance with one out. Rainwater was once again robbed of a hit on a liner to left that Joyce pulled down. A pair of wild pitches allowed Vance to reach third as Travis walked then Williams rolled her single to left.
Phillips ended the inning there by striking out Kristen Wood.
Workman singled with one out in the bottom of the inning to get Bryant’s offense cranked up again. Sullivan was hit by a pitch then El Dorado’s defense fell apart. Steed’s grounder to third was botched and so was Hubbard’s bouncer to short. Workman scored to make it 7-1.
Phillips then worked the count to 3-2 before blasting a towering drive to left to end the game.
